It Always Takes Longer Than It Does…

One of the lessons I keep having to relearn, even after seven decades, is that not everything happens on my schedule. That should be obvious, but somehow I still have to occasionally CBT my way through delays, missed connections, and – imagine this – other people’s priorities.

That’s to say that I had a plan for this newsletter that didn’t play out the way it “should have.”

After years of research, hundreds of clients, thousands of tests. And uncounted hours of consultation, I wrote a Guide titled “AA – Who It Helps, Who It Harms, Who It Kills & Why.” It’s at the printers. It’s at the e-book publishers. It’s priced out ($7.95 for e-book, $10.00 for print, including delivery).

Tanya in Toronto, our superb webmaster for over a decade, (see www.tanyabeaudoin.com) has time set aside to incorporate this roll-out as part of our home page with all the relevant links and information.

Need I say that due to an error on my part, the printing is going to be a week late? Due to some problems, including my internet being down this past Wednesday and into Thursday, my work with the e-book formatter in Fairbanks stalled? That I am frustrated with all of this even though it is absolutely my responsibility that the Guide wasn’t done a year ago? So why am I fretting about a week?

Which bring me back to, “It always takes longer than it does.” That includes actually doing something about any of the parts of our life that we could be addressing, but aren’t.

I don’t know about your plate, but mine has any number of servings, large and small, sometimes huge, which I tend to push aside, ignore, neglect to get around to, defer, and……

Sound familiar?

For me, lists help. They help because I like checking things off, but also because they let me prioritize, and that let me reward myself with something I actually like doing in return for something I just need to get done!

Example?

I finally got the guide assembled, formatted, print and e-book ready – all tedious tasks – so I could get back to the fun I am having writing a trashy romance novel.

Notice I didn’t include writing the Guide. I did that long ago. It was the post-writing details that I shy away from. Ever wonder where ISBNs come from? Where you can buy decent cover art at a price that makes sense? Where you can find a printer and e-book formatter? How you can cope with all of these when the internet goes down for 2 days?

That’s my long sad story and why you’ll have to wait until next week for tantalizing details that will make you want to order your very own copy!

And to lure you even closer, the Guide (I say Guide because it runs a slim 80 pages) starts with commentary by Gabrielle Glaser, Author of Her Best-Kept Secret, a Preface by Dr. Tom Horvath, past President of SMART Recovery and founder of Practical Recovery, and a Forward by Dr. Mary Ellen Barnes, my co-founder and President of Your Empowering Solutions.

Need more?

It’s also “Dedicated to You”.

Next week, given, as they said in rural Pennsylvania where I grew up, “God willing, and the creek don’t rise,” details will be available here! Of course given the weather back east…